Designing

Documents,
Slides, and
Screens

Module Five

©2014 The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2014 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
 5-2

Designing Documents, Slides, and

Screens
Learning Objectives
 Module 5 can help you design business documents
successfully. After completing the module, you
should be able to
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Designing Documents, Slides, and

Screens
Learning Objectives
 LO 5-1 Apply strategies for paper page design.
 LO 5-2 Apply strategies for presentation slide
design.
 LO 5-3 Apply strategies for computer use in design.
 LO 5-4 Apply strategies for Web page design.
 LO 5-5 Apply strategies for design tests.
 LO 5-6 Recognize questions about design while
writing.
 Good Document Design

 Saves time and money.

 Reduces legal problems.
 Builds goodwill.
 Looks inviting, friendly, and easy-to-read.
 Enhances your credibility.
 Builds an image of you as professional and
competent.

5-4
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To Design Paper Pages

Use white space for separation

and emphasis.
Use headings to group points.
Limit the use of capital letters.
Use no more than two typefaces.
Use justification appropriate to the
audience.
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Choice of Margins
Use justified margins when you
 Can use proportional typefaces.
 Want a more formal look.
 Want to use as few pages as possible.
 Write to skilled readers.
Use ragged margins when you
 Do not have proportional typefaces.
 Want a less formal look.
 Want to revise one page without reprinting all.
 Use very short line lengths.
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To Create Effective White Space

To create effective white

space, use
 Headings.
 A mix of paragraph lengths.
 Lists by using
 Tabs or indents to align things
vertically.
 Numbered lists when the number
or sequence of items is exact.
 Bullets when the number and
sequence don’t matter.
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To Design Presentation Slides

 Use a big font.

 Use bullet-point phrases.
 Use clear, concise language
and appropriate clip art.
 Make only three to five points
per slide.
 Choose a consistent
template, customizing slides
where necessary.
Effective and Ineffective Colors for
Presentation Slides

5-9
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To Design Web Pages

Provide an introductory statement

on the first screen.
Offer an overview of the content of
your page.
Put interesting and useful
information up front.
Minimize large graphics and
animation.
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To Design Web Pages continued

Include an “off” button for animation

and music on introduction pages.
Provide visual variety.
Unify multiple pages.
On each page, provide a link to the
home page.
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To Use a Computer in Design

Different versions of word processors

handle commands differently.
Choose a businesslike font in 11- or
12-point type.
 Times Roman, Palatino, Helvetica, and Arial are
the most commonly used business fonts.
Use bold headings.
 Avoid having a heading all by itself at the
bottom of the page.
 5-13

To Use a Computer in Design

continued

Change your tab settings to create

good visual impact.
 A setting at .6" works well for the
To/From/Subject line section of memos.
 Use .4" for paragraphs and .6" for the start of
bulleted lists.
 For lists with 10 or more items, the setting will
need to be a bit further to the right—about .65".
To save paper, use print preview to
see the document’s final appearance.
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To Incorporate Good Design

Follow These Guidelines

 As you plan, think about your
audience.
 As you write, incorporate lists
and headings.
 Get feedback from people who
will be using your document.
 As you revise, check your draft
against the guidelines in this
module.
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Summary of Learning Objectives

To create visually attractive

documents, use white space, use
headings, limit the use of words set in
all capital letters, limit the number of
fonts in a single document, decide
whether to justify margins based on the
situation and the audience.
To save paper, use print preview to
see the document’s final appearance.
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Summary of Learning Objectives

When you design slides for PowerPoint

and other presentation programs, use
a big font, use bullet-point phrases, use
clear, concise language, make only
three to five points on each slide and
customise your slides.
Good Web pages have both good
content and an interesting design.
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Summary of Learning Objectives

The best documents are created when

you think about design at each stage of
the writing process.
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THANK YOU